On a Tuesday night that saw depressed ratings numbers for most shows, CBS prevailed in key demos behind its “NCIS” shows while NBC’s “The Voice” remained tops among young adults. CW’s “The Flash” was one of those to buck the trend, hitting a 10-week high and winning its hour among younger viewers, while ABC was better than usual thanks to a pair of specials.

According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, “The Flash” (1.5 rating/5 share in adults 18-49, 3.8 million viewers overall) shot up 15% (0.2) from last week as it picked up momentum heading towards its season finale. It won its timeslot in several categories, including adults 18-34 (1.3/6, tied with “The Voice”), persons 12-34 (1.4/6) and men 18-34 (1.7/8). In men 18-34, it matched the combined scores of “NCIS” and “The Voice.” For the first time, “The Flash” drew more viewers under 35 than “The Voice” (1.49 million vs. 1.48 million).

CW’s “iZombie” also saw gains (0.7/2 in 18-49, 1.8 million viewers overall) — and in a good sign, considering how strong its lead-in was, it held its rating in the second half-hour. For the night, CW had its best Tuesday since Feb. 17 in adults 18-34 (1.0/4), tying with NBC’s three-hour average as No. 1 for the night among the broadcast networks.

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CBS opened with “NCIS” (1.9/7 in 18-49, 14.5 million viewers overall), which hit a low in the prelims but appears poised to round up in the nationals; it tied with “The Voice” for the 8 o’clock hour’s lead in adults 25-54 (3.0/9). “NCIS: New Orleans” (1.8/6 in 18-49, 14.3 million viewers overall), airing in a considerably easier timeslot, retained nearly all of its mothership lead-in and won its hour in most demos. And at 10 p.m., “Person of Interest” (1.4/4 in 18-49, 8.5 million viewers overall) came within a tenth of last week despite tougher competition, and was in a tight battle for the hour’s lead in both 18-49 and 25-54.

All three CBS programs won their hours in total viewers, and for the night the net averaged nearly 6 million more than both ABC and NBC.

At NBC, “The Voice” (2.1/8 in 18-49, 9.3 million viewers overall) was down multiple tenths to a season low and seemed impacted by the “Dancing With the Stars” special on ABC. Still, it won its timeslot in 18-49 and was also the night’s top program in the demo. Both “Undateable” (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.6 million viewers overall) and “One Big Happy” (0.9/3 in 18-49, 3.2 million viewers overall) were down 0.2 from last week, but managed to finish ahead of the competing Fox comedies. And at 10 p.m., the start of a three-show crossover storyline produced good ratings for “Chicago Fire” (1.5/5 in 18-49, 6.8 million viewers overall), which appears likely to round up to a 1.6 in the nationals and match last week’s score. In 18-49 viewers, it built on its “Happy” lead-in by a monster 77%.

At ABC, a “Dancing With the Stars” special celebrating the show’s 10-year anniversary averaged a solid 1.7/6 in 18-49 and 9.9 million viewers overall — up about 30% from the net’s performance one week earlier with the season finales of “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Repeat After Me.” It was followed by “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” (1.4/4 in 18-49, 4.5 million viewers overall), which was down 0.2 from last week and placed second in its hour; with a bigger overall audience leading into it this week, “SHIELD” hit an eight-week high in total viewers.

And at 10 p.m., the “20/20” special “Captive: A Journey of Survival and Hope” averaged a 1.4/4 in 18-49 and 5.9 million viewers overall for the net’s best performance in the time period since the season finale of “Dancing With the Stars” in late November. In the special, Robin Roberts interviewed Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, two of the girls who were kidnapped by Ariel Castro and survived a decade of imprisonment and unimaginable torture in his Cleveland home.

Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” (1.1/4 in 18-49, 3.2 million viewers overall) was down a tenth from last week. “New Girl” was back in originals but remained low (1.0/3 in 18-49, 2.1 million viewers overall), and “Weird Loners” (0.6/2 in 18-49, 1.5 million viewers overall) was up a tenth.

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On a Tuesday night that saw depressed ratings numbers for most shows, CBS prevailed in key demos behind its “NCIS” shows while NBC’s “The Voice” remained tops among young adults. CW’s “The Flash” was one of those to buck the trend, hitting a 10-week high and winning its hour among younger viewers, while ABC was […]

On a Tuesday night that saw depressed ratings numbers for most shows, CBS prevailed in key demos behind its “NCIS” shows while NBC’s “The Voice” remained tops among young adults. CW’s “The Flash” was one of those to buck the trend, hitting a 10-week high and winning its hour among younger viewers, while ABC was […]

On a Tuesday night that saw depressed ratings numbers for most shows, CBS prevailed in key demos behind its “NCIS” shows while NBC’s “The Voice” remained tops among young adults. CW’s “The Flash” was one of those to buck the trend, hitting a 10-week high and winning its hour among younger viewers, while ABC was […]

On a Tuesday night that saw depressed ratings numbers for most shows, CBS prevailed in key demos behind its “NCIS” shows while NBC’s “The Voice” remained tops among young adults. CW’s “The Flash” was one of those to buck the trend, hitting a 10-week high and winning its hour among younger viewers, while ABC was […]

On a Tuesday night that saw depressed ratings numbers for most shows, CBS prevailed in key demos behind its “NCIS” shows while NBC’s “The Voice” remained tops among young adults. CW’s “The Flash” was one of those to buck the trend, hitting a 10-week high and winning its hour among younger viewers, while ABC was […]

On a Tuesday night that saw depressed ratings numbers for most shows, CBS prevailed in key demos behind its “NCIS” shows while NBC’s “The Voice” remained tops among young adults. CW’s “The Flash” was one of those to buck the trend, hitting a 10-week high and winning its hour among younger viewers, while ABC was […]

On a Tuesday night that saw depressed ratings numbers for most shows, CBS prevailed in key demos behind its “NCIS” shows while NBC’s “The Voice” remained tops among young adults. CW’s “The Flash” was one of those to buck the trend, hitting a 10-week high and winning its hour among younger viewers, while ABC was […]